The True Name
by UltimateGamer101
Summary: After running through the True Pacifist route yet again, and failing to save everyone yet again, Frisk decides to try- you guessed it!- yet again. Although, after hundreds of RESETS, what will make this one any different? ... Perhaps it's time to take some drastic measures.
1. A Reset to Start

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Undertale. Undertale belongs to Toby Fox, and I am only one of the crazy fans of the game.**

 **A/N: This is my first real multi-chapter story, so please read and leave a review on any possible improvements!**

* * *

 _"uh, kid?"_

 _"..."_

 _"kid, you really shouldn't do that."_

 _"..."_

 _"you promised..."_

 _"... I have to at least try."_

 _"you've tried so hard already, for so long. kid... just accept this happy ending..."_

 _"Sans..."_

 _"yeah kid?"_

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _"...kid... KID, DON'T-"_

 **[TRUE RESET]**

* * *

 _It was a beautiful day outside. The birds were singing. The flowers were blooming. On days like these, kids like you..._

 ** _...SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL._**

* * *

You gasped awake, your eyes flashing open and hand clutching at your chest, where your heart pounded out a rapid rhythm. Slowly, the silence around you filtered through, and the loud beating in your chest quieted down.

Soft flower petals were beneath you, feeling almost silken to the touch as you ran your hands through them. The golden light that filtered down from above was like a ray of sunshine, warming you up and giving the purple-tinted surroundings a friendlier glow. You gazed up at the light, squinting your eyes to faintly make out the top of the hole far above, and smiled quietly, at complete peace.

Eventually, however, all things must come to an end. The peaceful feeling drifted away as you gazed down the dark hallway ahead, and began to feel as though you had to move on. A resolve hardened deep within you, filling your body and soul with the pure fire of determination. You would go forth, and see your purpose through.

Standing up, you dusted- no, brushed- the dirt from your striped sweater and shorts, before heading down the hallway. A large stone doorway came into view, with pillars and a carved top. The carving depicted a small circle with two large wings, and three upside-down triangles beneath it. After a moment's inspection, you moved forward, into a room with sunlight shining down upon a single flower with golden petals.

"Howdy! I'm FLOWEY. FLOWEY the FLOWER!" The flower was all smiles, a cute grin on its face.

"Hmmm... You're new to the UNDERGROUND, aren'tcha? Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!"

You felt a tug in your chest, and saw something bright and red come forth... Your surroundings turned black and white in comparison.

"See that heart? That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Your SOUL starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV. What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you?"

Smiling back at the friendly flower, you nod, and are rewarded with the words, "Don't worry, I'll share some with you!"

"Down here, LOVE is shared through... little white... 'friendliness pellets'. Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!"

You laugh, seeing the little white sparkles approaching, and rush forward to meet them. Your soul touches them... and you're filled with fire, but not the fire of determination... the fire of pain...

"You idiot. In this world, it's kill or BE killed. Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this!?"

A circle of the white sparkles surrounds you, and you feel another type of fire rising up within you.

Rage.

"DIE."

The circle closes in, and you glare at the flower that now sported an evil grin on its face. You stand defiantly as he laughs, the pain still radiating throughout your soul from the last hit, and fully expect to die... but abruptly, the pain goes away... As it always does.

A fireball appears out of the corner of your eye, and you dodge back... It just misses you, and hits the flower instead. Approaching from the shadows, something unusual walks forth... It appears to be a giant goat woman in a purple dress- which, you notice, has the same symbol that was carved above the previous doorway.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..."

Immediately, you stare at the goat lady, the stony thoughts of your plan running through your mind. It must show in some manner on your face, for she softens her expression to a friendlier smile, and tried to reassure you.

"Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am TORIEL, caretaker of the RUINS. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs. This way."

There is another stone doorway ahead, with the same carving above it... You begin to wonder about its significance, as you have in many timelines past, but follow along obediently, for now...


	2. Would You Like a Tu-Toriel?

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Undertale (though I wish I did).**

* * *

Through the purplish doorway of stone, you see a large pile of red leaves between two stone staircases. At the top of the staircases, there was another doorway, although it was much smaller than the previous, and seemed to lead into a house. Beyond that, shadows were cast in your direction, looming over you. You met them with a determined stare, as the fire to move onwards filled your being. You followed Toriel.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the RUINS." There were six stones beside the goat lady, two of which were on a path, four of which weren't. Beyond them was a golden switch, and as the lady spoke, she walked over the four that weren't, and pulled the switch. A door opened behind her as she continued speaking.

"The RUINS are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." She fell silent, and watched you, as you watched her. Eventually, you moved towards her, and her eyes seemed to harden at what she saw before she turned and walked briskly into the next room.

With her gone for the moment, you looked around, and read the stone plaque on the wall.

 ***Only the fearless may proceed.**

 ***Brave ones, foolish ones.**

 ***Both walk not the middle road.**

Gazing at the puzzle that now made sense, you smiled with an odd sense of enjoyment, before frowning with sudden irritation at how they slowed you down... You moved on to the next room.

Toriel waited there, and the earlier hardness in her eyes seemed to have been dismissed. "To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labelled the ones that you need to flip."

You already know this dialogue by the back of your hand, and tune it out. When she walks down the way, you flip the switches, and hear her speaking again, encouraging you.

"Splendid! I am proud of you, little one! Let us move on to the next room."

This is the room where your purpose begins... You ignore Toriel, waiting until she blocks the door to lunge forward and attack the dummy with your stick. It turns to dust at one hit, and the idea suddenly strikes you how weak monsters are, if you can kill them all with one hit. You've only ever done the True Pacifist route before.

 ***YOU WON!**

 ***You earned 0 XP and 0 gold.**

Toriel's next words intrigue you, as they are different than they were last run.

"Ahh, the dummies are not for fighting! They are for talking! We do not want to hurt anybody, do we...?" Her gaze narrows upon you, as though she knows what you're up to... and then she beckons you and continues, leaving the room.

This has never happened before. Could it be that she's aware of the difference, or is this just how she'd react if you'd hit the dummy before? Hmmm... too much speculation. You needed to move forward to find out more.

Following Toriel, a froggit attacks you, and you strike it... but not perfectly. It has only two HP left before Toriel appears, and scares it away. Would this affect your purpose of this run in any way?

...

You doubted so. After all, you would merely encounter it in one of the approaching rooms.

After walking over the spikes, guided by Toriel, you continue across the unreasonably long room that exists only for Toriel to test your independence.

It is... boring. You ignore what she says next, taking the cellphone she offers you, and the second she leaves, you immediately go into the next room. The phone rings, and you hang up as soon as you can, seeing the leaf piles around the room. This is where you truly begin...

The fire of determination fills you, in a way it never has before. You raise your stick and bring it down countless times upon many monsters... After two Froggits and two Whimsums, you begin to feel more powerful. The fire inside you increases, and an awed smile crosses your lips. This is why Flowey wanted you to kill everyone when you reached the end of the RUINS...

You strike more and more, the internal fire increasing again as you kill everyone you encounter in the leaf pile room. Until... You feel a very slight drain on your power, as your soul is brought forth in another encounter.

*But nobody came.

A shiver crawls down your back, and you shake your head. You can't stop now. You have to go through with this plan. So, dismissing the chills, you move onwards.

The mouse squeaks in fear as you investigate its hole in the wall, and you move on without much interest. Your heart beats steadily as you continue, moving through the room with the pillars and colored switches... until you reach the last one.

As you go to press the green switch, a force of some sort grasps your wrist and pulls you behind the pillar. You see nothing but darkness in that corner, and try to escape, but you're stuck there.

With a shuddering gasp, your soul yanks backwards, and you find yourself back in front of the mouse hole. You buy some spider cider, and collect the Faded Ribbon this time. With growing anticipation as you go to flip the green switch, you keep a healthy distance from the pillar... and move onwards to the next room. The Toy Knife lands itself in your possession, and you go north to meet with Toriel again.

The lovely scent of butterscotch-cinnamon pie meets your nostrils, and your mouth waters. It's always fully healed you when you used it in battle, and you thought it would make a nice item to carry just in case you got into a fight with someone difficult... However, you know it needs to cool, and you need to meet with the first person you're saving. So without hesitation, you go to the bedroom, and gently fall asleep.

* * *

 _"Frisk..."_

 _"It's working!"_

 _"The plan is working Frisk!"_

 _"I can feel it..."_

 _"I can feel it!"_

 _"I'm sorry I've never saved you in the past... This seems so easy! It's,hard to believe that I've never tried it before."_

 _"Don't worry Frisky, you've never had the chance to. Before now, Sans had prevented you from truly hearing me. But oh, Frisk, I'm so happy that this is working!"_

 _"I'm happy too, ..."_

* * *

 _"here we go "_

 ** _*FIGHT_**

 _"what, you think i'm just gonna stand there and take it?"_

* * *

You gasped awake again, staring at the ceiling with an uncomfortable feeling forming within your gut. You'd never seen him act like that... but the uncomfortable feeling went away as you considered the plan. It was working! The butterscotch-cinnamon pie slice next to you only further improved your mood.

Standing up, you stretched and cracked your knuckles. It was time to get down to business... leaving the RUINS. On that thought, you walked into the next room and tugged on Toriel's sleeve to get her attention. She tried to divert you from your purpose with uninteresting snail facts, but you resisted... and followed her when she ran downstairs into the basement. A smile crossed your lips as she blocked the exit. This was the first time you were going to truly FIGHT Toriel, and you were excited to see how strong she truly was.

Raising your toy knife, you saw your soul pulled free, and charged forward.

 ***FIGHT**

What.

"Y... you... really hate me that much?"

All of her health was gone... in ONE HIT?

"Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you here. Not you... but them!"

You stared as Toriel let out a confused laugh, and narrowed your eyes as she turned to dust... You'd always thought she was so strong... but she wasn't, was she?

That's why the monsters needed you to save them, after all.

Pushing open the door, you continue down the long hallway, and into the next room. Here stood Flowey, and normally he'd berate you for not following his path, but now...

"Hahaha... You're not really human, are you?"

Your eyes widened in surprise. He'd never said this before... in the past, he'd always cursed your humanity, how you chose your own path. But now, he wasn't sure if you were human or not. This is interesting...

"No. You're empty inside. Just like me. In fact... You're Chara, right?"

You could see his friendly smile turn into a frown of... almost concern. It touched your soul (but not in an attack sort of way), and you smiled back at him.

"We're still inseparable, after all these years..." He smiled back, almost happily, and continued his dialogue. "Listen. I have a plan to become all powerful. Even more powerful than you and your stolen soul. Let's destroy everything in this wretched world. Everyone, everything in these worthless memories... Let's turn 'em all to dust."

He laughed, and popped back beneath the ground, leaving you to your thoughts. This was all very interesting. You'd never done this in the past, and this had never occurred. However, it was time to move on. You could leave the speculation for later.

Stepping forward, you pushed the great door open, and met the bright glare of snow in your eyes with a smile...


	3. This Is Snow-Time for Jokes

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Undertale! (*contemplates mugging Toby Fox for Undertale*)**

 **A/N: Dont forget to leave a review! I know I'm a n00b writer and I'm looking for tips on improvement!**

* * *

As the glare of the snow met your eyes, you smiled, and waited for your eyes to adjust. While you did so, you waved to the camera you knew was in the bushes, and stuck out your tongue playfully. However, the playful shenanigans were done once you turned forward, and your face settled into a serious expression. Sans was up ahead... and you didn't know how he'd react.

Moving onwards, the snow crunched beneath your feet. You stepped over a large stick and continued, pausing when it snapped like it was nothing... Curiously, you glanced around, and to your surprise, you noticed a blue wisp of magic just vanishing to your right. You'd never noticed it before... however... you'd never been this powerful before.

As you stepped towards the oversized gate ahead, you kept an eye on the trees to your right, and saw the silhouette of Sans pass by. Steeling your expression, you prepared for the encounter he'd bring, making your face absolutely devoid of emotion. After all, Sans had disagreed with your idea before you RESET, and you knew he was going to do something differently.

As you approached the gated bridge, you could hear the wind howling up from the chasm it crossed, sending hollow echoes above into the trees. However, that was put out of mind as the ever-familiar skeleton approached from behind, his footsteps crunching in the snow.

"Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."

You turned, and took his hand, your expression not changing as the whoopee cushion went off. You were waiting for his reaction to the RESET... after all, he'd made it sound like he would remember, in some way or another.

"heheh... the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny."

Your expression didn't change.

"..."

You stared at the short skeleton, inspecting his expression closely. He averted his eyes, and you realized he was thinking hard... that was only to be expected, though. This had never happened, after all.

"that's, uh. your cue to laugh. or, uh, to emote at all...?"

His wink spoke of strong uncertainty. You suppressed the urge to laugh, instead sizing him up. If things were this different already, it was very likely that he would attack you at some point.

"... OK, that's fine. everyone's got their own sense of humor. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but... y'know... i don't really care about capturing anybody. now my brother, papyrus..."

You tuned him out once the dialogue got familiar, and walked through the bars like you knew he'd expect you to. He followed you, and told you to get behind the ever-familiar lamp, but... you refused.

You could sense the uncertainty rolling off the skeleton behind you in waves. He managed to push it down when Papyrus approached, and said the shortest dialogue you'd ever heard him say. "SANS! HAVE YOU FOUND A HUMAN YET!?"

"yeah."

"REALLY!? WOWIE! GUESS THAT'S SETTLED!"

He walked away, leaving you kind of shocked. The tall skeleton usually berated his older brother...

You shook your head. You couldn't keep comparing this run to the others. This was different... because to save them all, you had to do this much differently. To save them all, you had to do the one thing you'd never done...

Kill them all.

You smiled when Sans said he'd like you to keep pretending to be a human, and continued forth. The convenience of the lamp did not fill you with determination... instead, it was the voice you heard whispering to you that did so.

 ***16 left...**

Chara... If you could already hear her, it was certain. You'd be able to save her too, with the newfound power that this run was already bringing. This run, you'd be able to save them all.

As you killed the monsters of the snowy wilderness, you giggled, a happiness filling you like the first time you'd been taken in by Toriel. You had been found, saved, healed by her. She loved you, and it was her treatment of you along with everyone else's that made you determined to save them all.

Soon enough, you killed the monsters in your path, and encountered Papyrus' first puzzle, the invisible electricity maze. You felt a curiosity on how he would react if you just didn't do it... and found yourself walking forward in the middle of his talking. He tries to get you to go back, and you consider it, but then move forward. As you ignore Papyrus, you notice Sans watching you very carefully... and grin at him.

He steps back, and you let the grin die, wondering what he saw in the grin. You forgot, he was very intelligent, despite his lazy demeanor. His analytic skills were tough to beat... perhaps only Chara could defeat him in that regard. After all, she had finally found a way to communicate with you, when Sans was doing everything he could to prevent it.

A deep, unsettling chill made itself known as Papyrus left and you passed by Sans. It was as though he could tell what you were planning, and even though his eye lights hadn't gone out, you were certain that he was feeling the seriousness of the situation. As soon as his suspicions were confirmed... as soon as Papyrus was dead... You had no idea what he would do. That was, perhaps, the only thing you feared at this point.

There was no sense in mingling over it. As you looked at Sans' "puzzle" he'd left- that word search laying on the ground- you got the feeling that he knew you used to be his friend. After all, anyone who likes word searches can't be all bad, right?

You continued, the chill lifting as you gazed upon Papyrus' spaghetti trap, and wondered how the mouse had heated it up at the end of the Pacifist runs. Smiling, and shaking your head, you continued, moving on to the fight with Dogamy and Dogaressa.

The chill goes away when the warmth of their deaths fills you.

Soon you reach the puzzle that was made by the great Dr. Alphys. You step forward as you had with the electricity maze, a sense of impatience fueling you. Papyrus leaves, and you're alone with Sans... but he doesn't say anything of importance. You kill Greater Dog, and move on.

The rope bridge. Papyrus brings forth the Guantlet of Deadly Terror, and you wonder if he will activate it. The heat of the flames below you feels unexpectedly nice, and you step forward, kneeling to reach a hand down towards them. Papyrus pauses, an uncertain expression on his face, and after some ignored chatting with Sans, signals the puzzle away and leaves again. You become bored and walk after him, not expecting Sans to grab your shoulder as you pass.

The shorter skeleton glares at you with an expression of intense dislike... but not yet hate. His eye sockets are dark, however, as he warns you not to keep going... or you were gonna have a bad time. In a flash of darkness, he vanishes, but it's not his usual shortcuts. No... if it was, he would've taken you with him. This was on another level.

You would need to be very careful as you went onwards... for you wouldn't be able to stay on his good side much longer. Another shivering fit overcomes you at this, but rather than going away like before, you found yourself paralyzed. Should you really go through with this? Could you bring yourself to kill each and every one of your friends?

...In the next timeline, could they bring themselves to forgive you for what you'd done here?

The light above you dims, and still shivering uncontrollably you stay there as it grows dark. Ominous silence reigns as you sink down to a sitting position, before further sinking to a lying down position, before falling asleep in the soft, soft snow...

* * *

 _"our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting..."_

 _"until suddenly, everything ends."_

* * *

You wake up in the shed of Sans and Papyrus. The bars that meet your sight make you laugh, as they were still to wide to stop anyone... but boards had been haphazardly nailed along it to prevent you from sneaking through. No doubt, Sans had done that, albeit in a rushed manner.

Heh... that only gave you another weapon.

You kicked at one of the boards, not hearing anyone close by, and broke a space large enough to wriggle through. However, the board wasn't useable as a weapon... you could see it had rot and mold inside, perhaps from sitting out in the snow for a long period of time. No doubt Sans had left to find something more suitable to hold you in, and you left the shed before he could come back.

In Snowdin, the friendly atmosphere you remember from last timelines was utterly gone. Nobody in sight... all the buildings empty... it was like a ghost town. Idly, you wonder if Sans and Papyrus had warned everyone of the murderous human approaching, and you smiled. It would be just like them to do so, especially Papyrus, caring as he was. That was why you were certain... even if Sans did everything he could to protect Papyrus, the taller skeleton would still be there waiting, perhaps to try talking you out of the path you had chosen.

Indeed, in the fog ahead, Papyrus awaited your approach... with some choice words. He called you a freaking weirdo, and that was the closest your ever heard him come to swearing. Not even the time Toby the annoying dog had taken all of his spaghetti had caused him to get in such a state. The taller skeleton seemed... much more aggressive than he ever had before. You recalled being rather frightened of him the first time you met him, yelling at his brother for lazy guard duties, mistaking his loudness for aggression. That was mere excitement... This was him truly being aggressive. Yet he remained hopeful that you would turn back... like you could do such a thing.

"W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED... BUT... ST... STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I... I PROMISE..."

It was almost enough to make you cry... but you had to continue. The power that flooded your soul at his death reassured you, along with an elated laugh nearby. You were certain that was Chara, coming closer to life. She could be brought back if you tried hard enough, you just knew it, and you could bring back Asriel too! Even if it costed the lives of everyone else to do so.


	4. Cry Me a River

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Undertale. (*dismisses the idea of mugging Toby Fox in favor of getting chocolate* *gets mugged by Chara for the chocolate*)**

 **A/N: By the way, Bold Text is the Chara Flavortext that appears in the game. Frisk is going to realize that Chara has been narrating this whole time pretty soon, most likely in Hotland. Also, Italicized Text is pretty much memories, flashbacks, visions, and dreams. Those sorts of things.**

 **I wanted to put a bit more detail into Papyrus' death, but I've never been good with writing through things that have been done before, so I stuck mostly with the script. Don't worry, things will be getting more interesting soon =D**

* * *

As you continued forth into Waterfall, you didn't see any sign of Sans. It was empty, except for a few monsters staying behind... MonsterKid, MK in the Pacifist runs, was still there to fanboy over Undyne. The fish woman was still there, waiting for her meeting with Papyrus, but not going through with it due to a missing participant...

Chara accompanied you now, quite visible to your eyes. She'd comment various thoughts and ideas as to how you could continue, and was very happy. So happy, in fact, that she didn't even mind you taking a little rest in the room with the abandoned quiche. The bench was slightly uncomfortable to curl up on, but soon enough, you were sleeping like a baby.

You didn't notice Sans watching you as you slept, his left eye glowing in rage, and he didn't notice Chara watching him with a wide smile on her face...

* * *

 _"heh heh heh..."_

 _"that's your fault, isn't it?"_

* * *

You wake up with a glowing blue spear to your neck. Keeping your eyes squinted almost fully closed, you listen, and peer carefully around you.

"NGAAH! Why shouldn't I just kill this human right here!?"

Undyne faced away from you slightly, not looking at you, but her spear didn't waver from its position on your throat. If she killed you, you'd know how to avoid this, but you were rather curious as to how this'd go through.

Slightly behind Undyne, Chara paced back and forth- rather, floated just a tiny bit above the ground, but her legs moved like she was pacing. Her expression was impatience, and perhaps a hint of concern.

You made a mental note to tease her about it later with some intense ACTing.

As Undyne turned slightly away, revealing a phone in her other hand, her spear lifted just a few inches. That was enough to make your move. Opening your eyes, you quietly grasped the toy knife you still carried, and attacked the fish woman. Just as with Toriel and Papyrus, she lost all her health in that one hit, her form seeming to turn to dust before you. The phone in her hand dropped to the floor with a clatter that echoed through the room, and you grasped her spear before it could dissipate.

Sprinting out of the room, you ran across the bridge seed puzzle that was already solved for you, Chara whooping as she ran behind you. "Oh my gosh you didn't just do that to Undyne!" Her ruby eyes were bright with excitement, face flushed slightly more than usual. She didn't seem to be out of breath at all, and come to think of it, neither did you. Killing everyone really did make you stronger.

With a quiet laugh, you ran through Waterfall, picking up the dusty tutu and continuing on.

Undyne surprised you on the lower level of the bridges. You thought you killed her, so the sight of her throwing spears there like normal was quite a shock. You'd never seen a monster come back after their form was dusted... but then again, you hadn't really stuck around to see her turn completely to dust. You hadn't wanted to, with her being one of your best friends, but now you had to.

"YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRY HARDER THAN THAT!"

You batted some of her spears back towards her with the one you carried, and were rewarded with a cry of pain...

The tall grass hid you just as well as it had in the past.

As you walked away unscathed, you could hear Chara calling out insults at Undyne. It seemed she was happy, happier than you'd ever seen her before... How had she first contacted you? Well, you'd only ever spoken with her in your dreams...

* * *

 _It was a lovely night. You'd fallen asleep during a nighttime picnic, while the monsters were gazing at the stars, and the atmosphere in your dream was just as tranquil. The soft grass swayed in the gentle breeze of the night, and the moon shone full upon your surroundings, lighting then up in an almost ethereal glow. As you lay there, peacefully stargazing, you got the feeling that you weren't alone._

 _A soft sigh beside you confirmed that feeling. When you turned to look, you saw a girl who was slightly older than you, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, gazing at the stars with a quiet smile on her face. As if she knew you were watching, she turned to face you, the smile turning wistful. "Greetings, I am Chara. I've been watching your journey since you fell into the Underground the first time. You know of me through the story of the first fallen human, and the recordings Azzy made of me... unfortunately, he forgot to take the lens cap off a lot, so I'm really only seen in a picture frame at my father's house."_

 _You sat up, immensely curious as to how she could talk to you, and asked her such._

 _The girl seemed somewhat surprised, drawing her knees down from her yellow and green sweatered chest and looking closer at you. "You don't know...? Well, it probably wasn't intentional. Gaster has appeared in your dreams sometimes, has he not? I overheard you talking to Sans about it one time, and he was teaching you how to block out contact from the void... Perhaps that is why you haven't seen me until now."_

 _As you spoke, she acted like she'd known you a long time, and you were comfortable with that... Having heard her story so many times, you felt almost the same, and slowly felt the urge to save her like you had the others. It wasn't long before she expressed her desire to experience the happy ending too._

 _"Frisk, I miss them... I miss my family, and it wouldn't be so bad if I'd truly moved on, but I didn't. Part of my soul returned to my body when Azzy turned to dust, and I know that Azzy returned to life with determination. I know that the shard of my soul is carried with you, because you're what woke me up, and I haven't been able to leave your side through your journey... Seeing you have so much fun with my family and friends, I guess, is what makes me really want to come back..."_

 _You agreed to help, and hugged her... and you didn't see the expression of glee that overcame her face as you did so._

* * *

Undyne surprised you again on the blue-planked bridge, spears shooting up from below you. Although, in hindsight, you probably shouldn't have been surprised. She attacked you there in the Pacifist routes every time. So you ran and got sent to the garbage dump... you'd always wondered why she cut the bridge there rather than just attack you. But now that you saw her with a power sharpened gaze, you could see that she was tired... Chasing you all through Waterfall must've been exhausting.

Later on, after a tense chat with Gerson, you encountered MK on the stone bridge and slashed to attack...

But Undyne took the hit.

She looked different. Her armor was more pointed, and the whites of her eyes were black. Her eyepatch was gone, and the eye it used to cover shot out bursts of determination every now and then. MK gasped at the differences, the beginnings of going fanboy showing on his face as Undyne spoke her next words. "PUNK, IF YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME DOWN IN ONE HIT, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"

You watched in slight shock as she brought MK to the beginning of the bridge and shooed him to safety, your eyes opening beyond the squint they usually stayed in. As you watched Undyne approach again, you didn't notice Chara stepping closer, standing behind you. The spear you'd stolen from Undyne turned red within your grasp as you were filled with determination...

...

The first time you died, it was to a slew of spears that appeared when you were free to move. They surrounded you, appearing randomly, firing towards you. You heard Chara yell to watch out behind you, but you got hit anyways.

A grin spread across your face as you returned to the beginning of the stone bridge. Undyne was even tougher than you thought she'd be... Chara approved of Undyne, saying that she was a worthy opponent. As you stepped onto the stone bridge again, you had to agree.

...

The second time you died, it was while you were stuck in place with a green soul. The attack before it had been spears circling and closing in around you, multiple at once. You had slipped between the gaps of those and gotten caught on the last one, your health going down drastically. With that hit, you were slowed down, and the green attack stopped you.

But you came back again, intent upon defeating Undyne. Determination filled your being, and Chara stood by you, cheering for you as you sauntered forth onto the bridge yet again.

...

The third time you died, it was to a different spear attack. They appeared randomly in a circle around you, but instead of spiralling in towards you, they just shot right at you. You clipped into one, and an unexpected frustration took over as you appeared back on the bridge.

You had to finish this off quickly.

Determination filled you, power filled you... Chara helped you fight, almost as though she were an extension of your very being now.

Slashing at Undyne, blocking and dodging incoming spears, you felt more alive than you ever had before. Your lips curved into a smile as you brought her health down with her own spears, and made your move to kill her completely... but only to be yanked back down to the ground.

"sup undyne."

SANS! When had he gotten here? He wasn't at his post earlier, and he never interfered with your previous runs. Was this path really do different than the others?

Behind you, Chara glared at Sans, and you saw his eyes flicker to something over your shoulder... before returning to looking at you. His eye sockets went black...

"kid, i gotta say, you look bone-tired. has all this murdering been working you down to the bone?"

You felt stronger suddenly, and a feral grin crossed your lips as you stepped forward out of his magic... and struck Undyne one last time. The skeleton was shocked, staring at you, and the fish woman was melting from her own will to live... it was no wonder she was so strong. She had the most determination a monster could have without melting.

Turning, you fled, grasping the red spear that was now your own as you did so. Silence was left behind you, until you abruptly cooled down, and heard Chara laughing behind you.

"FRISK! THAT WAS AWESOME!" Her voice echoed down the cave, and you laughed with her. The power in you was very invigorating... almost exactly like determination was. You laughed with her, probably the first sound Sans had heard from you in this run, as you ran through the usual Undyne encounter spot towards Hotland.


	5. Burn, Baby, Burn

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Undertale (nor the absolute dynamite in it).**

 **A/N: Feel free to leave a review when you're done reading the chapter! Every review helps me improve =)**

* * *

 _"Friiiiiiiiiisk, I'm booooored!"_

 _You turned to look at the child beside you, an incredulous expression on your face. The two of you had been playing in every dream that you shared, having the most fun possible... but, you could see how it could get boring. She still had all that time to herself outside the dreams, and that time was infinite, from what she'd told you..._

 _After her declaration, Chara had taken to floating on her back, her face upside down looking at you. She was in the air, looking to all the world that somebody had hit the pause button while she was doing a backflip, and she did quite a good impression... except she winked at you. That sent you into a fit of giggles, and she soon followed suit, her laughs sounding happy and carefree. Soon however... the laughs died out._

 _"In all seriousness, I'm eager to meet your friends for myself. You always say such nice things about them, tell such fun stories... I wanna be a part of them. Floating eternally in the void, watching everything is interesting at first, I guess, but it gets rather boring once the excitement dies down..." The ruins are very small once you get used to them._

 _You sighed, and took her hand, leading her through the darkness to what appeared to be a wall. Turning to face one of the walls, you reached out and closed your fingers around the air... and Chara gasped as a grey door suddenly opened before her. On the other side was a blue hallway, similar to Waterfall, and you gestured for Chara to move forward._

 _She refused. "Frisk, if I go through there, I'll be gone for good... There's not enough of me to survive. Like, with G, if I tried to go through, I'd dematerialize..."_

 _You shook your head, taking one of her hands in your free one, and led her out..._

* * *

The puzzles of Hotland were very strange. Some were solved, some weren't, there were energy barriers in odd places... Alphys really had helped you out, hadn't she?

Chara hummed a quiet melody behind you, one you recognized as 'Memory', the music box song from beneath the fallen memorial statue. She'd seemed really happy since then, since you'd freed her from the void and gone on this run with her. It almost unsettled you, knowing how little she cared for the kills made, but you excused it as excitement to finally be free.

As you approached Alphys' Lab, you breathed in the fresh scent of instant noodles, an unusual smile on your face. You wouldn't go as far as to call yourself a weaboo, but anime had certainly fostered your like of cup ramen. There were several packages stored in Alphys' fridge... certainly she wouldn't mind you taking one or two.

Where Alphys would've normally met you, Mettaton stood. He'd always been one of your favorite monsters, with his flamboyant style and mountains of self-confidence, but you supposed you'd have to kill him now...

"OH, THE HUMAN." The disdain in his voice was audible, the loudness almost enough to make you cringe... but Chara giggled at it beside you.

"YOU UGLY LITTLE CREATURE. YOU'VE MADE QUITE A NAME FOR YOURSELF! SUCH INFAMY...! I'M IMPRESSED." Chara lost it. Rolling on the floor with laughter, she pointed at the robot, at you, and back again. His words were apparently too hilarious to explain the hilarity... You turned back to Mettaton, looking towards the elevator and the hole in the wall.

"OH. YES. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ALPHYS, SHE'S NOT HERE. WHILE YOU WERE BUSY DOING YOUR, AHEM, THING, SHE WAS RUNNING AROUND EVACUATING PEOPLE TO SAFETY. NOW THEY'RE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU'LL NEVER GET TO THEM."

"DECIDING NOT TO FIGHT YOU, MY MY, SHE REALLY IS THE SMART ONE, EH?"

You step forward, a grin on your face as you approach Mettaton. Chara stands up behind you and whoops in excitement, eagerly watching the events unfold.

"OH? HOW SASSY. YOU'RE JUST ITCHING TO GET YOUR HANDE ON ME, AREN'T YOU? WELL... T-O-O B-A-D! THIS WORLD NEEDS STARS MORE THAN IT NEEDS CORPSES! TOODLES!"

You pause in shock. Was he not going to fight you? Was he just going to let you run amok? Hmm... perhaps he wasn't ready for you, and wanted to make a bigger show... While you stand there, Mettaton flees, and Chara gives chase. "Come back here you tin can! Fight me!"

Soon she's out of sight, and you follow after her, but you pondered her words. She wasn't the one fighting, you were... Perhaps she was living vicariously through you, imagining herself in your place. No doubt actually experiencing something was better than just watching it, especially in her case.

No matter. You still had Muffet to deal with up ahead.

Spiders definitely creeped you out. You knew that most wouldn't harm humans, and that was why you didn't mind leaving them alone, but Muffet was a special case. In the Pacifist runs, you'd had to squelch your terror and let her wrap you up and everything... but now you could make the first move. Now you could let your natural instincts do their thing and kill the giant spider...

How easily she died. You'd need to keep that in mind for the future. You'd almost expected her to be powerful like Undyne, due to her unusual... tendencies and tastes... but she had less health than all the other boss monsters. Their HP levels were all up in the ten to twenty thousands, but Muffet had only two thousand HP... and that was being generous! You definitely didn't need to be scared of spiders anymore.

Moving along, you and Chara hummed together, a tune that didn't really have a name. The MTT Resort came into view, and you went to check on Bratty and Catty's shop, but it was empty, just like the shop in Snowdin. Curious, you check the till... and wince. The poor girls only had 5G in there. You'd need to buy more from them in your next run.

Going inside, you check the place out. All the rooms are empty, except... aww. Burgerpants was left behind! "You do realize you're alone here, right? Everyone else is dead. I killed them all."

The cat monster grins at you with a very weird expression. "Wait... if everyone is dead... does that mean I don't have to work today? Oh, little buddy, if that were true, if that were true..."

You blink... and leave without trying to kill him. For some reason you couldn't attack in that atmosphere, and Chara didn't want to try breaking it. So, you left him behind, and wandered on up the CORE.

Things were out of place, if course, but it seemed most of the traps were deactivated. You were able to go right on up without much issue at all, salvaging the Glamburger and 100G from the trash. Chara walked alongside you, her feet seeming to make sounds against the metal flooring as she went... It was an exciting development. That meant the fragment of her soul was becoming stronger. She'd be able to possess it on her own, soon, and wouldn't need your support anymore.

Closing your eyes, you breathed in the fresh scent of ozone and oil and flowers... the scent of the CORE was an interesting one that always changed, and that was one of your simple pleasures in these repetitive runs. Although, the elevators still didn't work, and the monsters hired to fight you still appeared. How strange... especially when you reached Mettaton. Didn't he say he didn't want to fight? Why was he waiting for you here?

"AFTER OUR FIRST MEETING, I REALIZED... SOMETHING GHASTLY. YOU'RE NOT JUST A THREAT TO MONSTERS... BUT HUMANITY, AS WELL." He pauses, as though waiting for a response... Chara nudges you with a wink, whispering in your ear to play along. So, you nod, putting on a fierce grin.

"OH MY. THAT'S AN ISSUE. YOU SEE, I CAN'T BE A STAR WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE. AND BESIDES..M THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE... I WANT TO PROTECT." He pauses again, not so much waiting for a response as steeling himself for what came next.

Heh. The robot was 'steeling' himself. You step forward, the grin on your face widening at the pun you'd unintentionally made.

"AH HA HA! EAGER AS ALWAYS, I SEE. BUT DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL. THERE'S SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T ACCOUNTED FOR. AS ANY TRUE FAN WOULD KNOW, I WAS FIRST CREATED AS A HUMAN ERADICATION ROBOT. IT WAS ONLY AFTER BECOMING A STAR THAT I WAS GIVEN A MORE... PHOTOGENIC BODY. HOWEVER. THOSE ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN FULLY REMOVED... COME ANY CLOSER, AND I'LL BE FORCED TO SHOW YOU... MY TRUE FORM!"

You giggle at the theatrics, amused by them. Chara stood smirking beside you, and placing a hand on your shoulder, murmured, "Go get 'em, tiger." The reference made you laugh so little more, as you stepped forward, expecting Mettaton's EX form to appear like it does when you flip his switch.

"FINE THEN! RRRRREADY!? IIIIIIIIIIT'S SHOWTIME!"

No fog fills the room. No doubt, it's because the tech crews are evacuated, but the lights begin to considerably brighten. They get brighter and brighter, until you can't see anything but a white light, and you idly wonder if blinding you is part of the show... Evidently not, as they abruptly blink out when your soul is pulled forth for battle...

You gape at the transformed robot before you. It's even more over the top than his EX form! His soul is still visible in his belt area, and his legs are as spicy as ever, but his shoulders look like something straight out of some crazy RPG game. Like bruh, look at the spikes on those things! There are even wings coming out of them, seeming to be made of the same stuff the solid force fields are made of!

Your jaw is probably on the floor by now, and you reach up to close it, noticing that the robot's right arm is a beam cannon of some sort. That'll probably be where his main attack comes from, no doubt, and you'd have to watch that. His right eye, the one usually covered by his hair in his EX form, appears to be an energy focus... perhaps it fires lasers similar to Undyne's eye did. If that's the case, somebody needs to inform them that using the same theme gets boring over time.

Chara seemed to be staring at you with a focused expression. "Frisk, are you okay? We should move to get to the end soon... The sooner this is over, the better."

You nodded, clenching the pistol you'd picked up in Bratty and Catty's shop, and fired at Mettaton...

 **[-959023]**

All his health was gone in one hit...

You really had to stop being surprised at this. The monsters were weak creatures, and that's why they needed you to save them every time you reset. They couldn't save themselves. That was why you had to help them, why you still felt the drive to do so, even after so many RESETS... Others may falter at the task, but you had determination to spare.

As Mettaton exploded, you made your way past his broken remains, humming quietly. Chara sighed happily beside you, rushing ahead to hit the elevator button... she pressed it successfully. She was almost back completely. That was one step closer to everyone being saved...


	6. Judgement Day- Face Your Sins

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Undertale.**

 **A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed, each one gives me new insight on how the readers take the situation, and helps me improve! =D**

* * *

The warm judgement hall was a beautiful sight, but you'd gotten somewhat used to it. The stained glass windows filtered the bright lights behind them into a convincing mimicry of sunlight- you knew there were lights behind them because you'd asked Alphys one time- and ahead of you waited Sans.

He was behind a pillar, leaning against it in his usual place, but the shadow he cast was more... forlorn... than it had ever been before. It seemed almost broken, something you'd never wanted for your friend, but something that you supposed was unavoidable. As you stepped forward, you saw his shadow pick up its head, and with each of your steps, straighten up.

The short skeleton soon emerged, staring directly at you with a gaze unlike any you'd seen from him before. The reason was shown around his neck- he wore Papyrus' scarf, its bright scarlet color dimmed slightly by the dust that covered it. A deep stare bored into your soul, freezing you in place as he looked over it... before looking slightly behind you.

"well kid, youve been busy, havent you?"

Chara giggled, being addressed by the skeleton barely taller than she was, and ignored him in favor of the person behind him. "Greetings Gaster, it's a surprise seeing you here... and you brought an audience."

You see nothing there, and suppose that Chara is seeing him and this... audience... because she has a closer connection to the void. She's seen countless timelines alongside Gaster, that is true, and perhaps she's even seen this one. It was very probable that she knew how this all would end.

"so, i've got a question for ya." The skeleton took a deep breath, closing his eyes. It was as though he couldn't bear to see you while he asked this question, and you could understand why. You had killed his brother, after all. "do you think even the worst person can change...? that everybody can be a good person, if they just try?"

His eyes stay closed, and without thinking about it, you take a step forward. Chara accompanies you, holding your left hand in her right. Her own left hand carries the knife from her room, and for the sake of nostalgia, you put away the gun for preference of your trusty stick. Over her sweater, Chara wears her locket, which when you look at it, seems to be beating...

You toss aside the cowboy hat, pulling out your own locket from a past timeline. This is how you knew you could save Chara by doing this... by killing everyone... she could be brought along with you, as you had brought her locket along in your previous timeline.

"heh heh heh heh... all right. well, here's a better question. do you wanna have a bad time? 'cause if you take another step forward... you are REALLY not going to like what happens next." His eyes go pitch black, his relaxed stance suddenly seeming much more aggressive...

You go to take a step back in surprise, but Chara squeezes your hand in reassurance. It's as though that squeeze bolsters your determination, your fear vanishing in an instant, a smile replacing the confusion that had previously possessed your face. Warmth fills your being one last time, the determination to finish this timeline and move on to the next increasing your ATK and DEF...

Together, you and Chara step forward, smiles on your faces. Happiness that this will soon be over, glee at bringing this to an end... Knowing the end is almost near, **you're filled with DETERMINATION**.

"welp. sorry, old lady. this is why I never make promises." His eyes close as your SOUL is pulled out, and he begins to speak some familiar words...

"it's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing. flowers are blooming... on days like these, kids like you..." A flash of darkness overcomes the world for just a moment, as Sans stares directly into your eyes and speaks slowly...

"Should be burning in hell."

Faster than you can gasp, his hand is sending your soul away in a dark blue attack, not the blue stop sign kind. Chara's quick reflexes help you push your soul forward before a united front of bones erupts from the black battle wall behind you, your soul turning back to red almost immediately with your combined determination. His hand gestures again, and Chara guides you through the curved tunnel of bones resulting... Without time to process the attacks coming your way, you let Chara guide you effortlessly through the Gaster Blaster beams, until Sans' attack stops...

"huh." The skeleton has the audacity to grin and raise his hands in a shrug, his eyes crinkled in mirth. "always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first."

 ***You feel your sins crawling on your back...**

Taking a deep breath, you look over the short skeleton, checking him out for what you thought were the highest stats of all the monsters...

 ***SANS: 1 ATK, 1 DEF.**

 ***The easiest enemy.**

 ***Can only deal 1 damage.**

You gasped, looking at Chara, realizing that she was saying the words of your action. This realization prompts you to ask one question. "Chara, have you always been my battle voice?"

The girl winked, a mischievous grin forming upon her face. "Come on Frisky, a girl's gotta have some secrets. You already know most of mine."

What you don't realize is that she's keeping a very important secret right now. Gaster stands behind Sans, guiding him perhaps as Chara guided you, but that's all you know. You're unaware that Gaster brought along the other monsters you'd killed, that they were watching you and Chara battle together...

A tug on your hand and deep urge in your soul has you running forward, you and Chara slashing your respective weapons towards Sans in a unified attack... but he dodges. HE DODGES. None of your previous enemies seemed to be able to dodge, but with 1 ATK and 1 DEF, you reckoned he had to have some darn high secret skill to have survived... it made sense that it was agility.

Look at you, thinking in RPG terms again. That was Chara's department, not yours. Perhaps her soul's strengthening was increasing the connection you two shared.

"what? you think i'm just gonna stand there and take it?"

Beside you, the girl giggled, before whirling behind you and grabbing your wrists from there. She wedged her feet beneath your heels, your body fitting snugly against her own as she whispered, "This is just for the battles from here on out, Frisky. I'm more experienced with dodging and fighting, since I've had lots of practice in the void with Gaster..."

You nodded, letting her take control of the situation. The dusted monsters watching the fight were uncomfortable with this, seeing things that were only visible with the clarity of power and death. Red strings were attached to your body when you came into the judgment hall, and with your willing loss of control, they turned to thick ribbons... all connecting back to Chara. These weren't visible to you, as Chara had done an excellent job of absorbing most of the power you'd gained, of keeping you unsuspecting and weak...

Together, a puppet and their mistress, you attacked Sans again, and were rewarded with another dodge and line of his monologue. Attack, dodge, line, attack, dodge, line. The battle wore on, Chara guiding your movements with such finesse, you wondered just how much practice she'd gotten in the void. Eventually, the skeleton seemed to tire of it...

"ugh... that being said... you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?"

"..."

"listen. i know you didn't answer me before, but... somewhere in there. i can feel it. there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might even have been... a friend?"

You froze, halting Chara's movement. So this was what he'd meant...

"c'mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you're listening... let's forget all this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and... well, my job will be a lot easier."

Chara clenched your wrists tighter, sensing your doubt. It made you look up at her curiously, and see just a flash of unbridled hate flow through her eyes... You didn't like that.

"Chara, is it really necessary? You're solid, your heart is beating. Haven't we gone far enough?" As you spoke, the red ribbons began to thin back into strings, her hold becoming less pronounced with each word.

"Chara, let's go... we can reset, and you'll be truly alive again..." You stepped forward, pulling gently free of her grip on your wrists, and turned to face her. Your expression was of remorse, of pleading, of exhaustion... She saw that, and brought a hand up to her forehead, wiping away some of the sweat beaded there.

"Frisk... he's going to kill you, y'know. I've seen this timeline. He talks you out of taking things to the very end, and when you least expect it, he kills you..." She looks sincere, and you want to believe her, but...

"Chara, if he kills me, we'll just return."

"No Frisk, you'll just return. I'm linked to you, yes, but if you die now, it will set us back so far, and make this run for nothing... I was speaking to you before Undyne died, but you died there three times, and I was almost brought back to the beginning. Frisk, I don't want this to be for nothing."

You stand still, thinking deeply over what was said... Your audience watches closely, seeing the red strings weave together, tighter, in preparation for something. "I'm sorry Chara..."

"FRISK, DON'T DO IT!" You've already turned away, and run into Sans' welcoming arms. Tears streak down your cheeks as he hugs you back, the surprising warmth of his sweatshirt comforting you as you cry softly. Killing all your friends had filled you with an intense guilt...

"you made the right choice, kid. this won't be for nothing..." The comforting words elicit another sob, and you bury your face in his bony ribs... not noticing the blue glow beneath you until something hard shreds through your middle, slicing through your soft human organs without any effort whatsoever.

Your expression is of pure pain, unedited betrayal... and the short skeleton's expression hardens into a mask of vengeance. No doubt, this was what he'd been thinking of since you reset, strengthened by Papyrus' death at your hands...

"GEEEEEEEEET DUNKED ON!"

Chara was right... he did kill you...

As you faded into the oblivion of death, you felt the fires of determination inside you withering away, to the sound of an anguished scream...


	7. Dark

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Undertale!**

 **A/N: Thanks to all the lovely followers and reviewers who've taken the time to enjoy this story! More's to come, especially in the next run, thanks to Gaster's interference! Stay tuned!**

* * *

A deep breath filled her lungs as she smiled the widest she had in years...

"Thanks for that, Sansy. Now she's gone, and while she is, let's have a little talk... without our audience eavesdropping." Chara thrust forth her hand, a strange red bubble surrounding the two. Within, Sans and Chara stood, with Frisk's unmoving body impaled on a bone between them. The skeleton eased the body to the ground and looked at Chara... his expression of vengeance still present from before.

"so, you're still here. no longer bound to the kiddo?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets, seeming relaxed as he gazed over the dead child.

"Oh, far from it Sansy. Because you killed them after I warned them you would, their determination is at an all-time low while their connection to me is stronger..." As if to prove it, Chara beckoned the body towards her, and held it up against her chest. The red strings became ribbons again, woven together tighter than ever before. The skeleton watched with a bead of nervous sweat forming.

"You see, they won't be returning until their determination does... and guess what I'm made of?"

"...determination."

"Bingo! And here Asriel thought the smiley trashbag was an idiot. Typical." Chara playfully shook her head, a smile gracing her lips. "He needs to get a soul again soon. Not having one really increases his logical skills, but super mellows his people skills. For real, his introduction to the human here was about the biggest laugh of my reanimated existence. When I have this body's soul, I think I'll put my own soul back together with it, and then lend him whatever's left over. Or maybe I'll just use this soul and give him the tattered remains of my own. Decisions, decisions..."

Sans clenched his fists in his pockets, but refrained from destroying the child... yet. "why even bother, kid? you died long ago. everyone you know either moved on or is dead. why bother returning?"

"..." Chara smiled brightly, gesturing to Gaster. "You know all that prattling on you did about timelines starting and stopping, looping and twisting, until everything suddenly ends? That's my goal. That's what lies at the end of this timeline. When everything is destroyed, I have no doubt Frisky here will want it back... Heh, they might even think it's their fault, if I play things right. But when they do, my price will be spoken..."

The red bubble dissipated, and Chara walked past Sans, stopping before the observing dead monsters with a sassy saunter. "Because Sans killed this human, he made this possible. He made it possible for me to return at the end of this timeline and the beginning of the next... Had he not interfered, I could've returned without needing Frisky's soul, but now I do. So when things don't go as planned in the next timeline, in the next universe, you can blame Sans... if you even remember. You never have before."

The fallen child seemed to become irritated, speaking in a bitter tone as she addressed the dead monsters. "You never remembered Frisk making friends with all of you over and over. You never remembered how hard they tried to save everyone. You never even knew that I guided them through these peaceful paths in their dreams and reality, giving them the idea to flirt with every monster... I thought that would at least remind you of me, Mom, give you the idea that I was still here... That was a stupid expectation to have. No, it's much simpler to assume that the human is only similar, rather than they're being accompanied by your dead daughter." Her bitter tone escalated with each word spoken, until she was almost shouting.

Chara paused when she noticed, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of her freckled nose, taking a deep breath. Now, when she spoke, it was in a calmer tone. "You never properly remembered me, so I'll make sure you do this time. All of you... You will remember this timeline, even if it's only through your darkest nightmares. With mine and Frisk's combined souls... I'll make sure of-"

A bone through the back cut off Chara's speech, and her body slumped forward... With her last breaths, her lungs filling with blood, the fallen child grinned...

"You have just hammered the last nail into your coffin..."

* * *

 _The darkness of the void was comforting, the cool temperature numbing to your senses. Here, you didn't have to face the mistakes you'd made. Here, you could lay down and feel like garbage for as long as you liked. Well, unless someone accompanied you, and was constantly attempting to cheer your mood._

 _"Frisk, don't worry. You made a mistake. This run can still be saved!" Chara lay beside you, hugging you close. Her body was warm against yours, a sharp contrast to the cool void surrounding the two of you. "We can still save this run, but we have just one last chance to do so."_

 _You look up, a glimmer of hope in your eyes. She said that there wasn't a chance before, but she didn't return for a while after you died. Could she have discovered a solution in that time?_

 _The warmth in her form kindled the fire within your own. A smile crossed your face as you nodded, standing up with her, face to face. As she spoke, you felt your determination returning. "Now let's go back and finish this."_

 _Together, the two of you faced oblivion, and stepped back into life..._

* * *

You stood at the end of the hall, facing Sans once more. Chara stood beside you, but she was no longer... physical. Her knife and locket fell to the ground as soon as she stepped through, and she collapsed against your unharmed form.

"Chara!? Chara, what's going on!?" Worried, you held her ghostly body, uncertain how you could do so, but relieved that you could. Otherwise she may have gone straight through the floor- you'd seen it happen once before and it seemed to be a very uncomfortable experience for her.

"I'm just a little tired... partner... You don't mind if I take a little... rest.. do you...?" She seemed to be breathing heavily, exhausted from the return journey. Of course you didn't mind, not when she was in such a state. "Thank you."

A red mist formed where Chara lay, spreading slowly, and wandered in equal parts to your body and the locket on the golden-amber ground. Picking up the locket and the knife, you slid Chara's locket around your neck, and held the knife in your left hand. It felt most comfortable there, considering how the stick felt in your right hand.

The red ribbons around you tightened into an impenetrable shell...

Together, you stood, and smiled at the watching skeleton. Behind him, there seemed to be an odd mist, and you glanced over it before dismissing it as unimportant. The only thing you needed to focus on was defeating the smiley skeleton before you.

Stepping forward, you giggled brightly as he sent his first attack towards you. Hopping and twirling, your unique dodging pulled you through. A second attack, and you were laughing as he dodged. Things continued in this manner for quite some time, until he tried to trick you into sparing him again... what a joke.

Things get harder after that, attacks starting and stopping unpredictably, and it was only thanks to your quick reflexes that you managed to survive. Chewing on the instant noodles you'd taken from the Lab, you noted that they tasted better dry, and that they healed you a considerably greater amount than in pacifist runs. This led you to recall the other food items you'd picked up along the way, and you wondered if Sans would react to the quiche he abandoned in the secret room of Waterfall. Next time you got hurt, you'd test it out... but for now you needed to pay attention to the smiley trashbag's attacks and not pay attention to the thick mist behind him.

The fallen monsters in the mist watching were in various states of shock, excluding Gaster and surprisingly, Papyrus. They remembered the kid dying, both the kids dying, and then they just returned like it was nothing... Undyne was a mixture of rooting for Sans, being salty that he held out on her during training, and freaking out about how anime-like this fight was. Mettaton was trying to get a camera built into his shoulder to work, but failed, and eventually just flipped back his hair and used his right eye. Toriel was quiet, watching in a mixture of grief and guilt... she believed the kid had been nice once upon a time, and that her easy death should've at least been used to destroy the door.

Papyrus was watching with a mixture of faith and sorrow. He so wanted to believe that his brother could defeat the bad human, but could see him getting tired. There were limits to his powers, as great as they were, and the taller skeleton knew that his brother would die soon.

Gaster, the father of Papyrus and Sans, was watching them both with a wordless concern. He'd done horrible things to them both, using them as experiments for his research, but this fight was proving that it hadn't been worth it. His younger son had died almost immediately, and his older son was approaching that same fate... If Sans did not succeed in making the human quit, this universe would end, and the demon that was called Chara would have a fully healthy soul of her own.

It was the only thing she wanted, to have a complete soul. She didn't care how many died nor who she had to manipulate on the path to attain it, so long as she got it in the end. Frisk was such a determined soul that once they set their mind upon helping Chara, it would take much more than the entire underground to convince them otherwise. Seeing you hack and slash your way through the underground was proof of that, even if you thought it was only temporary.

As you were flung in an array of directions, too quickly to do anything but align yourself with each if your new 'floors', the fight wound down... The sweat upon Sans' skeletal brow glistened in the golden light of the judgement hall, leaking through the battlefield as his concentration wavered. You could see him tiring, almost at the point to exhaustion, and giggled at his last act. His final, most desperate action in this whole fight... was to do absolutely nothing. A lazybones through and through.

The longer the time that passed by, the more exhausted you could see him become, as you sat neatly before him. His sockets dimmed, as they closed, and you could see the exhaustion that he truly carried. In truth, it concerned you somewhat, and you'd be dealing with that in the next reset. However, for now, you needed to take him down. He needed to die in this timeline in order to save Chara... who'd been very quiet since she went back in your head. She must be tired, as well. Dying once takes a lot out of a person, and she'd died multiple times.

A soft snore interrupted your thoughts. Sans had fallen asleep... at a time like this, in the middle of battle. You could almost hear Undyne chewing him out, like she had when he'd been sleeping at his Hotland sentry station in the Pacifist runs, and a smile came unbidden to your face. Slowly, you crept up to a standing position, your knife and stick each in their respective hands...

 **[SLASH]** The knife missed.

"heh. didja really think you would be able to-"

 **[SMACK]** ...The stick didn't.

"... so... guess that's it, huh?" You grinned as the comedian spoke, your stance relaxing as Chara cheered in your head. You felt stronger already...

"just... don't say i didn't warn you." The short skeleton stood, and shrugged, as though he weren't dying.

"welp. i'm going to Grillby's." His breaths were labored, and each step was accompanied by an unsteady wavering. Like usual, he'd gone the wrong direction, away from you and towards the mist that blanketed the entrance to the throne room. "papyrus... do you want anything?"

The sound of footsteps softly hitting the floor echoed through the empty hall as you walked forward. A smile laid upon your lips as you stepped over his dust... and into the mist.


	8. Darker

**DISCLAIMER: Whoa, whoa, relax guys, I still don't own Undertale. *snickers* Yet.**

* * *

The hallway was longer than you remembered. Since you'd walked into the mist, the golden gleam of the Judgement Hall had vanished, replaced by the signature grey walls of the Capital. Yet this hallway had gone on for so long, you hadn't seen the Throne Room entrance anywhere in sight. This intrigued your companion as well as yourself, especially when you reached the end of the hallway and found the staircase heading downwards...

A quiet murmur escaped your lips, the thoughts of your companion being spoken aloud in absent contemplation. "Has the very layout of the Capital been altered by our decision? I wonder... are the coffins still down here?"

Closing your eyes, your companion took a deep breath, intrigue filling the two of you as you went down the grey, hopeless steps. The bottom floor did indeed contain the coffins, but they were turned, allowing a pathway to be traversed further along the room. Curious, you inspected the first coffin, the one with the red soul painted upon it.

"It's as comfortable as it looks..." Your companion borrows your lips again, but this doesn't bother you. It means she's getting stronger and will be able to get a body of her own soon... just as soon as you found the Throne Room. But for now, you needed to inspect this hallway... it called to you...

A slightly dazed feeling came over you as you wandered beyond the other coffins, down another endless hallway. The surroundings became muted, dull, and a heavy feeling came over your body. It got heavier, and heavier, until you thought to turn back- but you couldn't turn back. There was no back to turn to, and no forward to keep going. Only darkness...

* * *

 _Gaster held the child close within his body, smothering them in the darkness within himself. The others gathered around him, their forms a soft grey mist surrounding his darker black mist, their boss monster souls retaining some strength after their deaths._

 _Some rage-filled impulse from the child had the void-cast monster shuddering, and the others closing in with concern. The first of them to speak was Toriel, followed by Papyrus, albeit in a subdued voice due to his brother's disheveled reappearance._

 _"The child is possessed by another of my children... How is this possible?"_

 _"Lady Asgore, if I may... I recall Frisk being incredibly friendly, in another time, but also incredibly sad due to being unable to save their friend. I believe this to be the other child, the one who convinced Frisk to kill us... It has been a long time since they were here, since before I was created. I believe... that long of a time spent alone is no good thing for a child."_

 _Sans, recovering from his death and subsequent arrival amongst his dead friends, was acting unusually detached. Likely, it was a defense mechanism from the early days of his life. "if you ask me, that's why they need to be killed, moreso now. but all of us are dead, and asgore stands no chance against the.. thing... this kid has become." The end of his say was covered in a sneer, with an expression of sorrow and betrayal lurking deep within his darkened sockets._

 _This was met with shocked expressions, and soon afterwards, empathy. The short skeleton was smothered in hugs, which felt nice, but which he rejected by teleporting across to the other side of Gaster. He didn't deserve such after failing the Underground his single most important duty..._

 _A snarl alerted the group to a red form emerging from Gaster's hold. Chara, expression showing sheer rage and willpower, pulled herself loose, landing amidst the group of dead monsters. Her brilliantly red eyes took them in and dismissed them, before returning to Gaster, and within him, her determined vessel. "How DARE you separate us!? I'll kill you again for that!"_

 _The child lunged forward, a spectral knife appearing in her left hand as she struck... and met a bony shield from Papyrus._

 _"HUMAN, I'M SORRY, BUT YOU CANNOT KILL MY FATHER." The tall skeleton's action shocked the group into some action, Undyne moving forward to kick the knife from Chara's grip, Sans stepping into view to slam the girl into the ground with merciless force._

 _"so demon, you've been busy. the kiddo never had a chance against you, did they?"_

 _Chara laughed, a sickening laugh of mixed rage and hopelessness and glee. "Like you're one to talk, comedian! You killed them after they accepted your mercy! They were actually considering a RESET, considering giving up on saving me, until you did that! When they continue, it's on your dusted skull!"_

 _This reaction had the dead boss monsters concerned, to say the least, but Sans simply stepped forward with a sneer. "they can't revive you if there's nothing left to revive, now can they?"_

 _"And how are you going to do that? I'm already dead, idiot, you can't kill me!" Chara taunted Sans with abandon, her voice grating upon his nonexistent ears until he shoved a bone through her ghostly throat... Even in death, the short skeleton was powerful._

 _"buddy... you're forgetting about all the gloating you did earlier... y'know, with your soul still remaining in tatters? well..." His left eye lit up, not the usual blue it would be, but the grey of his death. "if i wasn't able to hold you down like this, you'd get off scot-free. but your soul is with you... and I can END IT!"_

 _The bone through Chara's throat prevented her from screaming as her soul was torn and clawed at, but her expression of sheer agony got through to Toriel... The lady goat monster was conflicted. Her child had been alone so long, and had killed everyone from the hate this loneliness created, but was it possible that there was some other way to end this? She didn't quite understand... but, she also trusted the Judgement of her normally carefree friend. So she stood back, and let the skeleton shred the tattered soul of her first human child._

 _A final surge of energy from the child sent Frisk flying out of Gaster, and the sound of a broken soul finally being destroyed filled the uneasy silence... The melted skeleton scooped the single remaining fragment into his chest, keeping the final remnant of Chara within him, and gaining a new grasp upon reality..._

* * *

You gasped and choked, awareness returning to you. Shivers spread up your spine as you realized what you'd done... how you'd killed all your friends without mercy, throwing your pacifistic beliefs to the side... Why had you done that? You couldn't recall...

Turning, you saw an empty hallway missing its coffins, and began to cry. Your friends were all dead because you'd killed them... they were all gone... you... you... you had to fix this somehow!

Raising your hand up high, a golden glow filled the air before you, forming a single word that you needed with all of your being...

 **[RESET]**


End file.
